On Nov. 1, 2014, Dawn Seto, a senior Music Education major took the stage to perform her senior recital in front of friends, family and her peers in the Music Department. The Molnar Recital Hall began to fill as the clock struck 7:30 p.m. and Seto was moments away from taking the stage. When the stage door opened, silence overcame the auditorium as Seto in a beautiful gown took her place on stage beside her accompanist Teri Kidd.
The evening’s program consisted of four selections, each comprised of multiple songs that together told a story. The audience could follow along with Seto’s singing by using the notes and texts included in the program. These notes contained background information on the composer and piece, along with the lyrics to each and for the majority of the pieces a translation by Seto herself.
Seto’s first selection of the night consisted of excerpts from “Weichet nur, betrubte Schatten,” a German piece, composed by Bach, telling the story of ridding winter for spring to come. Seto’s friend Kathryn Zeh played the flute along with Kidd’s piano accompaniment and this is what really made the piece speak to the audience.
The next selection by Seto was by excerpts from “Hermit Songs” by American composer Samuel Barber, and consisted of six smaller selections. These pieces were in English and are small parts of manuscripts by Irish monks containing a religious aspect to them. Seto’s tone during each piece expressed the emotions of the monks writing these pieces from agony and despair to happiness. The repetition of lyrics in the pieces conveyed the importance of the particular section and gave meaning to every word.
After a brief intermission, Seto took the stage for the second half of her performance. The next selection was a French piece by composer Jules Massenet. This is when Seto really showed her emotions as the first piece “Premiere Danse” was about a young girl attending her first dance. Seto really embraced this role as she expressed emotions and gestures similar to how the young girl would have.
The final selection of the evening was by composer Franz List and was entitled “Tre Sonetti de Petrarca.” The two selections were expressing the poet’s love for a woman named Laura who could never return his love because she was married. These selections were more somber as Seto expressed the sadness of the poet in her tone and facial expressions. This final selection introduced the highest pitches of the night from Seto as with the repetition of the lyrics the key of the notes changed and went higher and higher.
This recital showcased the various talents of Seto and her diversity of singing in multiple languages. It was an overall impressive performance as Seto has an excellent voice that carried throughout the auditorium and sent chills down each of the audience members’ spines as she hit the highest notes imaginable with grace and ease. Seto’s selections were perfect for her voice and her passionate tone and expressions during each piece made the performance an enjoyable experience.
If you ever have the opportunity to attend a senior recital you will not regret it as these students have worked very hard in making their selections, practicing and performing them as part of their senior project. Take one evening out of your schedule to support your fellow peers in the music department and experience music you may have never heard before.
